Volume Two

Album review

Echoboy's Volume Two sees the artist crafting tracks that are generally less noisy and more subdued than those on Volume One. Whether that is a good or bad thing is really up to the listener, but the mood here is much less experimental than that of the previous album. One gets the impression that Echoboy has decided that he is an electronic/progressive artist. While there are many more tracks with vocals and samples that pass as vocals, such as "Circulation," "Kelly's Truck," and "High Pitch Needs," the songwriting isn't as strong when compared to "Kit and Holly" and "Walking" from Volume One. "Kelly's Truck" is like a faster, bizzaro cousin to that touching Looper track. Sampling what appears to be a young child speaking jibberish, the track turns into a fast and fun electronic magic carpet ride. "Telstar Recovery" is perhaps the album's finest moment, but it's one of the more original-sounding tracks to be found here. "Siobhan" and "Schram and Sheddle 262" satisfy the artist's ambient fix. Volume Two is certainly more cohesive than Volume One, but that doesn't make it the stronger album. The experimentation of Volume One meant that a listener didn't know what to expect next. When "Sudwestfunk No. 5" and "Cirulation" follow the artsy rock path favored by Trans Am, it's not an entirely welcome turn, considering the eclectic nature of the previous tracks and the earlier album. At least "High Pitch Needs" takes a hard stance and provides some assault, closing the album on a strong note. Fans looking for more great pop tracks along the lines of "Kit and Holly" will be disappointed, especially considering the fact that this album has a more traditional pop/rock sound but falls somewhat short. The pop/rock songs here are simply lacking great hooks, though they are quite endearing. While Volume Two is a strong album, Volume One had more ragged, unfocused joys.

© Tim DiGravina /TiVo